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Powerful Storms Leave Flooding, Downed Trees Scattered Across Delaware Valley

MONTGOMERYVILLE, Pa. (CBS) -- It's been a day full of severe weather, packing strong winds and rain. Now that the storm system is moving out of our area, homeowners and businesses are starting to assess the damage.

What started out as a call for a broken gas line led to responding firefighters finding some serious damage throughout a Montgomeryville community.

"Gas leak at the intersection of Susan Circle and Garden Bath Boulevard. Upon my arrival, I found several buildings with severe damage," Montgomery Township Fire Captain Frank Colelli said.

Colelli says five commercial buildings and more than a dozen homes were damaged.

"Sixteen residential units that were damaged, one with the roof that was completely missing," Colelli said.

Officially the cause of all of this damage has not yet been determined by the weather service, but you can see just how powerful it was. The side of a building was literally peeled off and an air conditioning unit on the top of the structure was blown off onto the parking lot.

"My mother-in-law was here with the children," Clayton Lonetti said.

When the wind started blowing, Lonetti's family took shelter and fortunately, they're OK. The house suffered some minor damage.

"She said the house started shaking a little bit," Lonetti said. "The first thing that comes to mind is what's going on with my kids, and fortunately everybody is OK and as far as the home and everything like that, property can be replaced.

Heavy downpours have made it tough for drivers all day.

This was the scene on North Dupont Highway in New Castle County, Delaware. Flooding remains a concern this evening as rain and heavy winds swept through the Delaware Valley.

The storms left downed trees across the area, including these two giant pine trees in Phoenixville, Chester County.

Eyewitness News caught up with the homeowner, who said he got a phone call from his neighbor.

"I hate to tell you this but two trees came down in front of your house -- big trees," Sonny Metz said. "And I just came by and looked at them and wow. It just nicked the gutter. Very lucky, nobody got hurt. It didn't come across the road, it didn't come across the driveway, it just landed on the lawn."

Also in Chester County, a tree came down on Route 202 Monday afternoon. For a short time, the southbound lanes were shut down between Street and Pleasant Grove Roads.

CBS3's Greg Argos contributed to this report.

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